What do VC firms look for in a start-up?

WHAT VC FIRMS LOOK FOR IN A STARTUP

Adam Cragg and Paul Wilkes are partners at Osney Capital, a venture firm focussed on early stage investing in technology companies. In this session, they will step through what they look for when assessing a potential investment.

Using real-life examples, they will talk through some common challenges a startup should fix (or have a plan to fix) before seeking capital from professional investors. Through hearing these stories and the Osney team’s take on them, attendees will develop a better sense of what investors may be driving at with certain questions during pitching or due diligence.

The Osney team have been working with a team of researchers at Oxford University to gain a better understanding of the reasons why startups fail. Perhaps surprisingly, the research found that approximately 1 in 4 startups fail for completely avoidable (non-market) reasons. At the end of their session, they will share some of this learning to help attendees build more resilient and scalable businesses.

This is an interactive session, so please come ready to ask questions and meet a (potential) investor for your venture.